AEGIS NEW Does Laser Electrolysis Work? Is it possible for coherent (laser) light to kill hair? Certainly. Has anyone yet devised a laser treatment system which kills hair perma- nently and safely? Perhaps. Has anyone demonstrated permanent hair loss with laser electrolysis. Not yet, at least not to our knowledge. air. For so many of us, we Electrolysis is a proven way to hot tub right after treatment, and have it where we don't kill hair. It is the only proven way my skin felt so smooth!" "It's H want it, and want it where to kill hair. Even so, it is slow, been three weeks, and I have only we don't have it. We are deluged expensive, and worst of all, a light regrowth." "I still shave with promises of products and pro- painful. Improperly done, it can every day, but the hair is lighter cedures to grow, condition, color, damage the skin. And it is not than before." The problem, of and remove hair. Some of them 100% effective. Each hair requires course, is that however opti- work; some of them don't. The multiple treatments, depending mistic those treated may be trick: find the right product. Find on the skill of the operator. An about the permanency of their the right procedure. inexperienced or inefficient elec- hair loss, it's too soon to tell Humans are famous for fran- trologist may not even kill any how much hair will come back. tic and unproductive searches for, hairs at all. Yet for all its limita- To date, no study has conclusively among other things, the perfect tions, electrolysis works. Hair is (or even inconclusively) shown aphrodisiac, a tonic to grow hair removed, and it does not grow that hair loss from laser treatment on bald pates, the "gay gene." The back (or rather, it does grow back, is permanent or safe. more desperate we are, the more but as the downy vellus hairs that Laser light certainly has the readily we will accept charlatans, women and children have on their potential for killing hair; the prob- frauds, and quacks — and the faces). lem is the delivery system. The more so if they themselves believe Is it possible for coherent light must be directed to the hair in their particular brand of snake (laser) light to kill hair? Cer- root, where it will zap the root. oil. tainly. Has anyone yet devised a There are a number of recently- Getting rid of facial hair is laser treatment system which kills developed techniques for reaching of crucial importance to transexu- hair permanently and safely? the root, including Thermolase's al and transgendered women. And Perhaps. Has anyone demonstrated technique of coating the skin with it's easy to do. We can shave it, permanent hair loss with laser carbon powder. One or more of wax it, pluck it, cover it with Pan electrolysis? Not yet, at least not these techniques may even work. Stik, or pluck it with tweezer — to our knowledge. But that's still to be seen. and now we can have it zapped The newsletters of the trans- Certainly, someone will with a laser. The problem with gender community have been eventually develop an effective these methods is that they are all full of late with accounts of pos- and safe delivery system for temporary. Eventually, the hair itive experiences with laser elec- laser light. Until then, we coun- comes back. trolysis. "I was able to get in the sel: think electrolysis. AEGIS News 8/97 Page 1 Hair Removal Choices: Laser or Electrolysis Originally published in Rosebuds (News- letter of the Tiffany Club of New England), Vol. 8, No. 10, November, 1996 by Linda DeFruscio, R.E, R.I., PM.E. There is little or no data yet avail- ments, and skin resurfacing, which is the 1r Dermatologists able on laser hair removal showing the machine's main purpose. Palomar's laser MDs result of permanent hair removal. work is based on research at Wellman Electrologists As you may or may not know, I am a Laboratories of Photomedicine Laser or Cosmetologists board member of the Massachusetts Center at Boston's Massachusetts General ar Other medical professionals Association of Electrologists. I try hard Hospital, led by Dr. R. Rox Anderson, to get first-hand information to share Dermatologist and Director. A four-year question the validity of these with you. study, which began in 1959, is being con- risky experiments and convention come- We are looking for that "miracle ducted by Anderson. ons, especially since it has been made laser" to permanently remove all our clear by the FDA or the manufacturers unwanted hairs. When laser light hits 3) ALA: A third technique of laser hair into whose hands these devices should be human tissue, it produces heat, similar to removal is with ALA cream and red light. delivered and whether the long-term our own thermolysis method of electrol- Not much is known about this technique, safety issues have been appropriately ysis. Where a laser produces heat depends except that the pharmaceutical company addressed. solely on which tissue absorbs its particu- that makes the ALA cream is DUSA. In comparing electrolysis to lasers, lar light. each electrolysis treatment removes about There are three techniques for Laser treatments performed on a 2" one-third of the treated hairs permanent- light-induced hair removal: x 4" area of a man's back takes approxi- ly. The remaining two-thirds of hair, mately five minutes, as Anderson report- which could be undergrowth, may return 1) Thermolase: Hairs are waxed, then car- ed at the last MAE meeting in finer and softer approximately four to bon-based lotion is massaged into the hair September, 1996 in Boston. A whole six weeks later. follicle and the lotion is preferentially back could take up to one-and-one-half There are three states of hair absorbed by the hair follicle and the laser hours. The laser company's information growth: anagen (growing stage), catagen light is absorbed by the lotion, thus pre- cites that laser hair removal of mustache (transitional stage), and telogen (resting sumably killing the hair follicle. This hair on a woman could take 10 minutes, stage). All the hairs on the body are in year, Thermolase, Inc. began laser hair whole legs could be done in 60-90 min- three stages of growth. If we properly removal services at Spa Thira in La Jolla, utes, and the area will be hair-free in six treat an anagen hair, that hair is 80-100 California. This salon represents the first months. percent permanently gone. Lithe hair is of a series of company-owned and operated About three months after a single in the catagen or telogen state it is 50-60 day spas which offer hair removal and oth- treatment, 10-20 percent of the man's percent permanently gone. The lower er beauty services. Thermolase is the only back had permanent hair loss. After two percentage is due to another hair that laser device with the U.S. Food and Drug treatments, the figure rose to only 40 per- could be growing beneath the hair root. Administration's permission to market cent. So there appears to be a one-in-six As the new hair rises to the skin surface, and therefore may be used on the public. chance of getting permanent hair loss in by continuing treatments, the electrolo- Thermolase is presently contracting only one treatment. No single laser hair gists has a higher success rate of perma- medical doctors. removal treatment, it seems, is yet avail- nent hair removal. able for permanent removal. As the research still continues, this 2) Epilaser: Epilaser was developed by There are several side effects of is what we have so far: With laser hair Palomar Medical Technologies, Inc., laser hair removal: removal, only 20 percent of treated hair which is setting up sites around the U.S. will be permanently removed on the first and Canada. It consists of a normal mode 411- Occasional blisters treatment. Subsequent treatment will ruby laser with a special handpiece deliv- Hypopigmentation (skin lightening) remove only another 20 percent. ery system. Epilaser doesn't require prior fa- Permanent freckle removal Needle electrolysis is here to stay waxing or application of a lotion. ar Swelling and will always have a place. On the other Shaving is preferred before the laser or Moderate pain hand, lasers are not the ideal solution for treatment. Recently, the FDA denied Hyperpigmentation (skin darkening) every problem. Devices and hair removal Palomar's Epilaser permission to market Folliculitis (ingrown hairs) systems have to be carefully designed for the device as a hair-removal system. 4r Redness specific applications. Laser epilation However, the FDA approved the compa- will likely evolve as another modality ny's new laser for fixing skin discol- So, who will do hair removal with the for both permanent and temporary hair oration, tattoo removal, spider vein treat- Softlight system? removal. Page 2 AEGIS News 8/97 This article originally appeared in Elec- Laser: The Horror Stories Begin trology World, November/December, 1996 by Teresa E. Petricca, CPE A lot of pressure is being exerted on Dr. Brian Hoff stated that "physi- cannot imagine the "horror stories" that the electrology profession: pressure from cians are seeing more and more compli- could result from the use of laser by hair the laser manufacturers and by those who cations as more and more procedures are removal by electrologists — especially are disregarding the basic tenants of our being performed. There is a minor epi- when doctors with more than basic medi- profession because of vested interests.